


A Gentle Soul

by nekosd43



Series: Tumblr Requests [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Cute, Falling In Love, Feelings Realization, Fluff, M/M, Tumblr Prompt, and i've accepted my role as such, i'm a taagnus cute-fic drug dealer, spoilers for stolen century
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 17:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11189493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekosd43/pseuds/nekosd43
Summary: Taako has been watching Magnus for a long time.He does not understand how someone so tough got so soft.





	A Gentle Soul

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt sent to me on tumblr by @sakurasapprentice! I take requests over on @nd43taags.

He’s a rough and tumble boy.

Or so he’d like everyone to think.

Taako had watched him over the years.  Many, many years.  Magnus Burnsides put on a show of looking tough.  Being brave and fierce and powerful.  And he was, he truly was.  But Taako was realizing that there was so much more to him than the front he put on.

They had met before the mission started, but they hadn’t known each other that well.  He wasn’t an arcanist, and wasn’t in the same research labs as him.  He was hired muscle as far as Taako could tell, and his behavior the day before their departure said as much.  Cool.  Unaffected.  He went looking for a fight, not because he could win it, but because fighting seemed like the only thing he understood.  He came to the mission with a new black eye and a grin.

It was a good look.

He’d be lying if he said Magnus wasn’t his type.  He liked a guy that could bench press him.  A guy that looked good a little roughed up.  But that interest was blindsided when the Hunger descended, and they were catapulted to a new reality.

So Taako watched.

Taako saw the ferocity in his eyes the day he decided to fight the Royal Beast.  His manic obsession, doing push ups and crunches on the deck of the ship for weeks in preparation.  His passion as he fought an attendant bear almost double his weight, and lived.  Taako saw it all.  But he also saw the fear and care in his eyes the day the Hunger descended again, as he told everyone else to run while he remained to help children to safety.  And while Taako ran, he stayed behind, helping cub and pup and chick and fawn, burly and brave and so full of love.

His hands were still shaking when he was born again on The Starblaster.

Taako felt himself shaking too.

“You died,” Taako whispered angrily to him the next day at breakfast.  “You died and… I thought you were gone forever.”

“I’m sorry,” Magnus answered, “But I couldn’t just leave.  I had to help.”

Of course, what help had he been?  The planet had died with him.

On the planet of mushrooms, Magnus lead the expedition to find the Light.  As the security officer, it only made sense.   But when they returned without him, heavy hearted but successful in their mission, Taako couldn’t understand.

Why?  Why was this idiot so keen on getting himself killed?

Lup said that Magnus died in his sleep, and for the first time in the almost ten years Taako had known him, he felt a strange numbness spread over him.

Magnus did not die  _ in his sleep _ .  And Taako had to laugh, because he had gotten to the point where he knew these people well enough to know their prefered method of death, but it was true.  It was so  _ quiet _ .  So peaceful.  So un-Magnus.  Magnus went out as he did in the Animal Kingdom, loudly and fiercely and fighting with every ounce of his strength.  He did not succumb quietly in the night.

“I think he  _ was _ fighting,” Lup said with a sad smile.  “I think he was fighting to keep us from seeing he was sick.  To keep us from worrying.”

“But why would he  _ do _ that?” Taako huffed.

“I think Magnus is just a gentle soul,” Lup shrugged.

The truth of everything was that Magnus, for all his strength and bluster, was gentle.

Taako saw that in the way he easily made friends with locals, ingraining himself into whatever culture they found himself in.  He saw that in the way he would stop a caravan to pet a friendly dog, or point out a passing bird in the sky.  And in the way that he always seemed to be there when a crewmember needed a warm hug or a shoulder to cry on.

“How does a softee like you get to be a  _ security _ officer?” Taako asked him one night as they walked through The Capital City, surrounded by the hum of machines and the hiss of warm steam.

“I don’t think you  _ can _ be a good security officer without being soft,” Magnus explained.  “If you don’t love something, why would you want to protect it?”

“But like…  Have you seen yourself?  You’re like a bear a witch turned into a human,” Taako laughed, “You’re all muscles and brawn.  How did you get so tough when you’re so  _ soft _ ?”

Magnus laughed, and flexed.  “I got tough from carrying the people I love.”

That was new to Taako.  That strength could come from love.  He was starting to understand that more and more, on their ship powered by their love for each other, but before this journey he had never considered it.  He and Lup had not been shown many kindnesses, and being soft was a good way to get hurt.  But Magnus let himself get hurt over and over again in the name of kindness and love.  In the name of protecting others.

It was a novel idea, and not entirely unwelcome.

Years passed.  So many years.  Taako saw Magnus die and live and get hurt and heal and  _ rush into _ everything with a headstrong foolishness that only someone who loved as much as him could do.  And while Taako had also grown softer, kinder in those years, he knew he had Magnus to thank for that.

But he did not realize it until the day Magnus brought the baby home.

It was a weird creature, ethereal and shimmering with a galaxy inside it.  Magnus had said he couldn’t leave it behind, and while Taako was certainly confused he absolutely understood.

If Magnus could, he wouldn’t have left anyone behind.

The baby was curious, and liked to get into everything.  Magnus liked to keep it entertained with wooden toys that he carved, a skill he was still mastering from the Conservatory.  He lay on the floor in the common area, carving wood carefully while the baby floated around in the air surrounding him.  When he finished, he would produce to the creature his creation proudly, and the baby would glow and whirl and sweep the carving up into its tendrils.

And Taako suddenly realized he had fallen in love with the look in Magnus’ eyes.

That look, that joyous look of kindness and love as Magnus lay on his stomach and pushed little wooden ducks back and forth across the floor as the baby glittered and spun with joy, was a look that Taako would never get tired of.

It was a look he wanted to protect.

And for the first time since they met, he finally understood what Magnus meant.

Love makes you want to do everything you can to keep the ones you care about safe.

Suddenly, Taako realized Magnus was looking at him.

“It, uh… it likes ducks,” Magnus laughed, sitting up.

“Oh uh, okay,” Taako stammered, realizing he had been staring.  “It’s cute, I think?”

“You want to join us?”

Taako rolled his eyes sarcastically, but sat down on the floor next to Magnus and took a carved duck into his hands.

“Do you, like, make noises or what?” Taako asked.

“No I just kinda move them around,” Magnus shrugged.

Taako looked at the toy and with a wave of his hand cast a spell to animate the figurine.  The duck opened it’s beak in a silent quack, and the baby shimmered with joy.

“I hadn’t even thought about enchanting them,” Magnus admitted, “That’s probably a lot easier than making them walk around with my hands.”

“Listen…” Taako said, setting the duck down and watching it waddle off.  “I think I get it.”

“What?”

“I think I get why you’re so kind,” Taako said, watching the baby float after the charmed carving.  “I’m starting to understand why someone could throw himself into things like you do.”

“Oh?” Magnus laughed.  “And why is that?”

“Because… because I feel that way when I think about  _ you _ ,” Taako admitted.  “I see you, and I feel like I’d do anything for you.  I’d die for you.  For your smile.  For your eyes.”

“Taako…”

“I don’t know when it happened,” Taako laughed, “but I  _ think _ I’m in love with you.”

Magnus put a hand on Taako’s knee, leaning into his face with a bashful smile.  “Really?”

“I didn’t realize it until… like literally just now!” Taako cried, “But I think it’s been this whole time?  I think I’ve loved you since… since the beginning?  Shit, talk about taking forever to realize things.”

Magnus put both of his hands on Taako’s cheeks, and tilted his head down to kiss him gently on the forehead.

“That’s super gay dude,” Magnus chuckled against his forehead, and Taako wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Yeah well, it comes with the whole Taako package,” Taako laughed, burying his face into Magnus’ shoulder.  He was relieved that Magnus wasn’t pulling away from him.

“I think I love you too, Taako,” Magnus whispered, “I love you so much.”

“You love everyone,” Taako said.

“But I love you the most,” Magnus replied, hugging him closer.

They spent the evening lying on the floor, watching enchanted wooden ducks wander around the room as the baby did it’s best to chase after them with flashing bursts of light.  And for the first time since setting out on this journey, Taako felt like he understood.

He understood what it felt like to be so strong.


End file.
